


A Matter of Trust, Ch6-Pt1

by Dressari



Series: Distant Worlds [16]
Category: Creators Keepers of Mana, Dan and Mab's Furry Adventures, Furry (Fandom)
Genre: CKoM, DMFA - Freeform, Elements, Furrae, Mana - Freeform, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-24
Updated: 2017-07-24
Packaged: 2018-12-06 03:54:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11592405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dressari/pseuds/Dressari
Summary: A unified group approaches a dangerous long forgotten place with distorted energies. There, they begin to plan their options when they confront Brelioro. All the while Alexsi has no intention of sitting around being a captive.





	A Matter of Trust, Ch6-Pt1

\- 6 -

“Mallenkar Tower... of all the places he could choose, he had to be there...” said Fa'Lina.

Adrian spoke with a slow paced tone as he stared onwards, “Looks old.” he said.

“As it should, no one has touched this place since the times the clan leaders were many.” explained Fa'Lina answering an obvious question that came from the Creator's thoughts.

“Hardly surprising, this place has some seriously bad vibes and reputations.” added Biggs.

“Seems fitting for an ugly creature like Brelioro.” said Aaryanna.

“I can't believe I'm actually coming here to save her ass.” sighed Biggs with surprise at himself.

“You can always go back home, leave it to the rest of us that want to be here then.” pointed out the younger Cubi trying to goad a more vexed reaction from the ferret.

“I think you're confusing want to and need to.” corrected Biggs.

Aarayanna scoffed, “Yeah? You don't need to be here either.”

“No, you're damn right, I want to.” he replied snapping his fingers at the grey furred Cubi.

Set in the distance before them was Mallenkar Tower. Standing tall, at least fifteen stories high and as old and battered as tales in books would suggest. Alas, the walls appeared surprisingly intact with only the occasional misshapen area. None of it really suggested the tower would come down anytime soon, but looking at it alone, something definitely appeared off about it. The history behind the tower was muddled in rumours and long forgotten research, even to this day no one really knew what its original purpose was. And many were too scared to find out since there were countless numbers of explorers who went missing in search of the truth.

Fa'Lina approached and stood behind a contemplating Adrian, hunched down at the edge of a small cliff side looking out to the open fields that surrounded the tower, with a mountain range and forest behind it. No longer was he clad in the armour, he instead wore dark coloured pants and a t-shirt along with a brighter functional vest. A uniform he used to wear as part of his military background but it lacked any markings or identifying features.

No longer did he desire to wear something that bore the mark of the enemy they intended to face, although it still puzzled the man how the meaning of the insignia became twisted. “Perhaps Brelioro merely adopted it, if what he said was true of your father.” she theorised. The other truth of the reason was her own presence, it didn't make sense to him to display that which was considered harrowing to a friend. For that Fa'Lina was appreciative of his consideration towards her feelings.

Staring intently at the tower he shook his head gently, “Armour like that was never my style anyway...” Fibbed Adrian knowing Fa'Lina would pick up on his obvious lie. He quickly glanced up to her seeing the golden eyes question his decision, it was just a symbol after all. But Adrian felt it had much more significant meaning, since he did not have the time to remove it, he chose to forgo it for now.

The disagreement in Fa'Lina's eyes were strong, but she did not argue.

“Adrian, you have been quiet since we arrived,” she said hunching down, sliding the book they retrieved from the Inn onto her knees. She nudged the man gently with one of her wings, “What is on your mind?” asked Fa'Lina preferring to ask than simply glean the answer from his mind.

Adrian hesitated to answer, crossed between a shake of his head and uneasy tilt of it as he stared at the tower, “...This tower, it makes me uneasy, it's like the flow of Mana around it is distorted, bent. I've never felt anything like it before.” he replied, petting Teacup who hung over his shoulder, trying its best to appear enthusiastic. Sometimes he shuffled the critters body in to a better position, worried it might slip off suddenly and over the side of the cliff.

“If it makes you feel better I can sense something distorted too, you are not alone.” said Fa'Lina, seating herself down cross legged. Her feet grew weary, they had to plan their next move carefully since they were expected. She fiddled with the edges of the book in her hand. Part of her was wondering why he hadn't asked for it yet, but given they were so close to the Baron's lair his mind was more focused on friends than some incoherent pages.

If they held any answers, he simply did not care for them now.

Although Fa'Lina was confident Adrian would eventually find the answers he sought, she also feared some of the revelations that were about to come around. Fear or worry would not stop her, it never had done in the past, only hope guided her and even now that was all she relied upon. For now all that there was left to do was-

“Well lets get going then,” directed an enthused but stern Aaryanna, cracking her fingers together as she stood at the edge of the cliff. She was getting bored of standing around, they knew their objective and there was no point in delaying the inevitable destruction of some foolish Being.

“You're too high strung girl, apparently you've never walked into a trap before.” chortled an unimpressed Biggs watching this over eager Cubi get worked up. He had donned a shirt and vest since leaving the Twinks, a few sets of intricate runes were present along the rims of both garments. Protective wards at the very least. If he was going to walk into the dragon's maw he was going to be smart about it at least. “There's no telling how many of those hollows are even in there.”

“A couple...” murmured Adrian, “And him and that girl... Destania, Alexsi, and Relina... I can sense all of them inside the tower, even from here.”

“Even better,” grinned Aaryanna. Her confident smile was soon quashed however when a hand tightly gripped onto her shoulder, the pinch was all too familiar as well. A glance to the side saw Fa'Lina had appeared next to her with a tired expression.

“Brelioro is cunning, Aaryanna, do not grow too confident.” she told her, “I would much prefer if you returned to the Academy and-”

“No way!” snapped Aaryanna before her boss could complete that sentence. She grew determined and pushed from under the grip of the poodle, “This is Destania we're talking about, I don't care what's gone on in the last twenty or so years, she doesn't deserve this! You didn't even tell Dan!”

“There is more at stake here than lives too, Aary,” reminded the headmistress before turning towards the cliff then with a short hop she leapt off the edge to follow Adrian and Biggs who had already started to make their way towards the tower. A plan would have to be formed on the fly, there was no telling how much time or patience Brelioro would be willing to grant them.

 

⁂

 

Destania pressed her hand against an intangible wall that impeded her exit from this large circular chamber. As the tips touched this magical barrier it would reverberate and send out pulses of energy along the area like a splash in a pool of water. She tapped at it a few times before throwing the back of her hand and wrist into the wall with an aggravated roar, the impact causing a larger ripple but no evidence of damage. The wards were incredibly strong and prevented physical entities and magic from passing through it.

If Destania had to guess, this room was powerful enough to perhaps contain even a Dragon, or dare she say a Fae, if the impossible could be achieved. Staring at the wooden door before her, the agitated Cubi gritted her teeth through annoyance, not because of the prison, not because she had been found, oh no, it was something that made her so much more pissed off.

Losing...

Destania cursed her carelessness, and made a mental note to redouble her martial abilities, too long had she remained idle hiding under Biggs's proverbial wing. Three Hollows and that blasted Being should've been little more than bugs to swat against the wall. Was she slipping? Did time in hiding dull her fighting ability? In the last few days she'd lost more fights than she would care to admit to, that was certain.

“I must say, I was incredibly surprised to find my assistant didn't just find ANY Cubi,” greeted a voice.

Destania whirled around and shot her tendrils in the direction of the voice without nary a pause in her thoughts, the wing heads darted towards the tall red robed target stood inside of the shield, she gathered this was the Red Baron everyone had been talking about. Already tired of her stay here, Destania intended to tear him apart if it was the last thing she did. She felt a force of intangible energy then suddenly push down on the heads of the tendrils, so hard it slammed them into the ground with a crack, jamming them into the stone floor and holding them there by a strangely familiar pink glow.

The force had caused Destania to stumble, just briefly, but she retained her footing while she attempted to pull the tendrils from their anchor point.

“Now now my dear, why the angry grit and snarl?” asked the Baron, standing with his hand flat and facing towards the floor, a pink pulsing aura leaping from the hand every few seconds as he held the tendrils at bay against the ground. “I do apologise for my assistant's rough retrieval of you and for your accommodations. Had I known it was THE Destania Ti'Fiona, I would've come for you myself.” he chuckled.

“If you think you can contain me here for long, you are sorely mistaken.” snarled Destania, one of her tendrils managed to find some leverage and was pulled from its mooring and darted for the Baron with a snap. The maw of the head struck the Baron's arm and clamped down with a bite, tearing clothing and drawing some blood. Yet he remained with the same stance, not so much as a flinch.

The Baron chortled, his voice echoing from the walls of the bare, stony room. He gripped the tendril's head with his free hand and with a push of his thumb and a tight squeeze, pried the head from his body with a tug. “You have so much spirit, so much determination, it's almost beautiful to watch. Too bad it is shadowed by that broken mind of yours.” he told her.

“What did you say!?” blasted Destania, whipping the tendril from his hand after shaping it into a blade. Again the Baron didn't so much as flinch despite his hand receiving a laceration, instead he held it palm outwards to her to show the injury as it healed, leaving only a blood stain behind. Rather than explain himself the Baron threw his arm to one side and Destania felt her feet lift from the ground, her tendrils ripped from their moorings and crashed into the magical shield with a thud.

“Admittedly, finding you has thrown another wrench in my plans, I was not ready to host a member of Cyra. As was I not expecting to find Gias's son once more.” elaborated the Baron, stepping towards the door that Destania had been trying to reach behind the wards. “You see my dear, truth be told, it is not you or your son I am directly after, but I did require a Cyra clan member's presence for another matter.”

Pushing against the magical barrier, Destania lifted herself away from the wall with a shove, a glare fixated on the Baron as it quickly came to reason what he was truly after. “You want my mother don't you. Then go and find her and leave me alone.” she told him.

The Baron sighed and then chuckled lightly, shrugging his shoulders in a defeatist manner, “If it were that simple I would have already found her. Alas, like every member of Cyra, they are difficult to find,” he glanced back to her, “But, it is also for good reason. I would imagine Hizel would love to hear more about where Cyra's two descendants are. Especially at that quaint little Inn.”

Destania lashed out her tendrils again after the Baron, alas they impacted against the barrier that restricted her to the room, narrowly missing him as he passed through the magical barrier just out of harms reach. Following her assault, she slammed her fists into the tangible wall of energy in a last effort to break through but to no avail. “I will tear out your throat if you reveal this to that monster, if it is the last thing I do Baron!” she declared with a deathly glare, a promise she would see through with everything she was capable of doing.

“I believe it, though it would be futile,” he replied. Standing at the edge of the barrier he teased her by passing a hand through, tempting her to take a swipe at it and pulling back just at the last second. The Baron chuckled at her efforts, “I may be persuaded to keep everything secret however... provided you kill Adrian.”

Destania paused at the request, he wanted her to kill Adrian, she heard that clearly that was no mistake. But what he was asking was, “That is a request built around a death wish. I would die before I even had the chance.” she said remembering this same Being killed a dragon, and so much more in his past. Although she did have the advantage of reading his mind fully.

The Baron said nothing more and simply offered a bow of his head, Destania was sure if she could see his face, a grin of malicious satisfaction would be present. He then walked away exiting the chamber through the doorway, his footsteps echoing down the corridor.

And just how was she supposed to even face Adrian anyway, trapped in this room like a rat?

The barrier then visibly faded, falling into the ground. Believing it was fake, Desania waved her arm out briefly, expecting to collide with the magic once more. Yet her hand passed though the air in place of it. She wasn't sure what was more of a problem at this point, the fact she was faced with a double edged knife of a decision. Or the fact she was being allowed to roam free.

Could this mean Adrian was already here in that case?

 

⁂

 

Relina winced and grunted, pressed against the wall of the metal cage she was trapped within, half conscious and feeling sick to her stomach. It wasn't that her journey from the academy to here was the problem, only that her injuries were still causing a good deal of pain and the gradual blood loss caused her head to feel fuzzy. A little healing had helped, but her already weakened state made any substantial spells difficult to cast and maintain.

The most she could do was rest, and hope the headmistress had noticed her missing. The last few hours were nothing but a puzzle to her, and the inability to think clearly didn't make it easy to try and slot the pieces together.

Maybe there just wasn't enough to begin with.

“Hey, are you hanging in there okay miss?” asked a calm and soothing female voice.

Relina glanced up to the other occupant of the cage, a brightly smiling blonde haired Being by the name of Alexsi, whom had also been incarcerated by this Baron fellow. The simply dressed feline knelt down next to her body and did her best to tend to the wound that was still split upon Relina's side. A few tears in the rim of her dress had been made to provide a makeshift bandage.

“...That was a pretty dress, too bad you had to ruin it for me.” groaned Relina.

“Pffft,” scoffed Alexsi rolling the long piece of her dress around the Cubi's body, “It's just a dress, I have dozens more where this came from.” she said, tightening the pieces together comfortably, although her patient whimpered a little it was more out of fatigue than pain. Relina crossed her arms and huddled against the cage wall, shivering. Alexsi let out an inward sigh and her smile faded. The wound was bad, left unattended for hours there was no telling how much blood the girl had lost, but it was enough that the warmth from her body was slowly slipping away. The blood soaked burgundy dress she wore was ruined, the Cubi opted to wear clothing instead of shaping to her fortune at least.

Taking the flower brooch from her dress, Alexsi used the pin to hold the makeshift bandage together. Although it had become chipped in the scuffle with the Baron it still held a faint glow. Once in place, Alexsi reached up with a hand and brushed it over Relina's forehead, shuffling some of her mauve hair around. She was cool to the touch but it was mired in a layer of sweat too.

“Nice brooch...” commented Relina weakly, pushing on the floor to bring herself more upright, “Boyfriend give that to you?”

“What?” blurted Alexsi, surprised, snapping her hand away to hide her cheeks instead, it wasn't a comment she had expected out of the blue, “N-No, no, a friend gave it to me that's all.”

“Oh, nice friend. I'd... like to meet him and thank him for providing the pin to my bandage.”

The feline innkeeper chuckled, “You can't miss him, strange but gentlemanly. Not from around here that's for sure.” said Alexsi and stood up from the ground. Approaching the cage entrance she rattled it a few times in the foolish hope it may just happen to be unlocked. There was nothing noticeably magical about the cage, nor could she sense any residual spells even with her limited knowledge. A single large padlock chained the door to the rest of the cage.

“So, why did he take you anyway?” asked Relina resting against the cage with her back now and taking some deep breaths to help keep herself awake. “I can... well, I guess I can't understand why he took me from the Academy. Other than being a Cubi, but you're just a-”

“A Being,” chortled Alexsi and provided a playful glare to the obviously young Cubi, “I may not have any, 'magical' qualities miss Relina. But I am more than capable on my own.”

Relina tried to smile realising her mistake in assuming, “Perhaps, but he still won by the looks of it.” she pointed out nodding to the rest of the cage, her hand held firmly on her side where the injury pained.

“Touche,” admitted Alexsi. Indeed she had lost to the Baron as her pride felt it. But it wasn't without reasonable cause, the powers that he brought to bear, the weapon he used to knock her unconscious. The whole fight was a blur, it happened quickly, but she KNEW she managed to land some good hits in herself. Even the Baron claimed he was impressed, before everything suddenly went black for a while. “I have a feeling it was because of my friend, the Baron said they knew him. I guess we're the bait around here.” pondered the feline, rubbing the back of her head to soothe the impact she suffered earlier. Alexsi turned back to Relina and pointed to the Cubi's hand, “But, I think for you it's because of your clan marking, Relina.”

Relina turned her left hand over to see the dark blue coloured icon, a small circle in the mouth of a crescent moon with another smaller circle making a gap in the first, “My clan marking?” she inquired, clenching her hand briefly into a fist.

“I remember seeing it in that book my friend, Adrian had...” then a dreary thought had come to mind causing Alexsi's heart to tighten a little, “...You must be from one of the clans the Baron is looking for.”

Relina felt a lead weight drop into her stomach almost making her sick and curled her knees against her chest tightly, “But, I'm the only member of it. I don't... why would he? What did I do?” she asked confused, in a light panic. It was bad enough to be taken randomly from a well guarded place, but to purposely be targeted. The worried Cubi rested her muzzle against her knee tops and let out a whine.

A light rattle and clicking started to fill the room, causing Relina's ears twitch and making her glance up from the tops of her knees. Alexsi was the cause of the noise, her arms passed through the holes in the cage and round to the other side, “Are you picking the lock?” she asked her.

“Mmhmm,” replied Alexsi with a cheery tone, “You don't think we are just going to sit here do you?”

Curious to how this was performed, Relina, with a struggle, pushed herself to her feet and hobbled towards the working Alexsi. Leaning around her side as some snapping sounded from the lock at a gradual pace. She wasn't entirely sure what was jammed into the lock hole, aside from two pieces of metal that her new companion was diligently turning and moving with a careful, patient, touch.

The large bolt clamping the piece together than snapped open with a clang, clearly its security was no match for this seemingly simple Innkeeper. Relina felt a small ray of hope come through her anxiety as Alexsi looked at her with smug satisfaction.

“You have to teach me how to do that.”

“When we get out of this, sure thing.” nodded Alexsi gently pushing the cage door open then taking Relina by the arm, wrapping it over her shoulder so she had someone to lean on, “Can you manage okay?” she asked her.

“Ugh, ngh, I'll try, it's still very sore and I can barely feel my legs.” replied Relina, wincing as she moved along with her new friend, “Do you... think we can escape without him noticing?”

“I can't say, but I'm not about to make it easy for him either,” answered a very stern Alexsi, summoning her mallet into a free hand just in case they needed to defend themselves from threats. Take it slow and carefully, it wasn't like they spent any effort to keep an eye on them anyway. They could use that ignorance to their advantage for a while.

 


End file.
